GARRARD: “IT WAS GOOD TO GET EVERYONE INVOLVED”

Boreham Wood manager Luke Garrard says that Tuesday night’s match was about game time for his players and not the result, despite coming away 0-2 winners against Haringey Borough.

The Wood secured their first win of pre-season against Tom Loizou’s side, as goals from Ricky Shakes and Frank Keita secured a 0-2 victory at Coles Park.

It was the Wood’s first match of pre-season following their return from a training camp in Devon and they were able to hit the ground running.

“The result was not important,” Garrard insisted. “It was about getting minutes under the boy’s belts and I felt that we looked strong, especially after the week that we had in Devon.

“It was all about getting the boys integrated; the likes of Kane Smith and Shaun Jeffers, who was a last-minute signing today. It was good to get everyone involved and overall, it was a very good workout.”

There was an air of excitement around the ground as the capture of Shaun Jeffers was announced shortly before kick-off and the striker came on in the second half.

With six of the seven summer signings featuring in the fixture, the Wood manager asserted the importance of integrating the new players into the side.

“It is so hard to judge on a 45-60-minute spell, but I thought that Jeffers was strong, his hold up play was very impressive and he looked neat and tidy around the box.

“Kane Smith looked energetic, Kieran Murtagh looked energetic, Tom Champion showed an experience and an understanding of this level and Paul Benson and Bradley Ash led the line superbly in the first half.

“Frank (Keita) scored and he has done ever so well in the past season. He plays the system like Frank Lampard and arrives late in the box; the timing of his runs is very good and you saw that with his goal today.

“Today was about getting the cobwebs off because they had not played a game in the two-week period that we had been back, so it was a very good exercise.”

The 31-year-old reserved praise for the Haringey side that the Wood came up against, while also thanking the club for their hospitality.

“They have got some good players, they are all inner-city lads, they all have a bit of quality and they are all athletic.

“They lost in the play-off semi-finals last year, so they are no mugs, but I wasn’t really looking at the result.

“Both sides created chances, but it was very much about the exercise of getting minutes under their belts.”

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